Gravina takes Italian FA hot seat promising to relaunch the national game
October 23 – Italy has a new federation (FICG) president with Gabriele Gravina (pictured) elected on Monday almost a year after the departure of his predecessor.
World Football
Argentina’s Tapia takes seat at FIFA’s top table
October 23 – Four years after the death of Julio Grondona, once the second-most powerful man in world football, Argentina has temporarily regained a place at the top table of FIFA.
Media attacker Rummenigge bites the hand that feeds him
October 22 – Bayern Munich chief executive Karl-Heinz Rummenigge has launched an unprecedented attack on the media for their criticism of the German giants, even citing the country’s constitution.
European Leagues call on UEFA to cut CL places for Big 4 leagues and redistribute wealth
By Andrew Warshaw
October 22 – Bemoaning the fact that Europe’s top 14 clubs pocket around half the revenue on offer from the Champions league, the umbrella organisation for Europe’s major leagues have renewed their call to UEFA to impose greater competitive balance between the haves and have-nots.
US Club Soccer launches Players First grassroots licensing system
October 22 – Amateur club organisation US Club Soccer, which has more than 4,000 members across the US, has launched a club certification system based on its Players First philosophy.
NISA announces Philadelphia as second team location as it prepares for 2019 debut
October 22 – The National Independent Soccer Association (NISA) has announced Philadelphia as the second city to have a team in the third tier league when it kicks off play in 2019. While the location in the City of Brotherly Love has been announced, the club’s home venue, ownership and team name is still to be released.
Blast from the past: Dyke lambasts FA over Wembley sale
October 22 – The proposed £600 million sale of Wembley stadium that would have helped fund the development of grass-roots football in England collapsed because of “old men” who are “living in the past” according to former Football Association chairman Greg Dyke.
No football in Sierra Leone without Johansen, says FIFA after Zurich talks hit impasse
October 19 – An eagerly awaited meeting between high-ranking FIFA officials and Sierra Leone’s warring football factions has failed to produce the necessary breakthrough and provide a clear way forward.
Turan plays on but €370k lighter after night club brawl
October 19 – International Turkish midfielder Arda Turan, on loan from Barcelona, has been fined €370,000 by Istanbul Basaksehir following his part in an alleged nightclub altercation with well-known Turkish pop singer Berkay Sahin.
PSG hit with fines over Red Star game as crowd trouble and match-fixing probes continue
October 19 – Big-spending Paris Saint-Germain, desperate to finally land the Champions League after years of trying, could face sanctions from UEFA after European football’s governing body announced it was opening an investigation into crowd trouble at the group match against Red Star Belgrade earlier this month.
Mexico mourns loss of women’s football pioneer Marbella Ibarra
October 19 – Mexican football is mourning the loss of one the pioneers of the women’s game in the country following the murder of Marbella Ibarra.
UEFA bans Rubin Kazan from European club comps for breaking FFP rules, again
October 19 – UEFA’s get-tough policy on financial fair play has snared one of Russia’s best-known clubs, with Rubin Kazan banned for a season after they were found to have broken spending rules.
Caught between the Hard Rock and Real Madrid anger. LaLiga’s US game has issues
October 18 – The dispute over plans to play a La Liga fixture in the USA in January has taken yet another twist with Real Madrid officially protesting the move by writing to Spain’s football federation.
Uruguayans want former boss Valdez removed from FIFA Council
October 18 – With the threat of further scandal hanging over their confederation, Uruguayan clubs have voted in favour of removing their former FA president Wilmar Valdez (pictured) from his FIFA Council role, a move that will be taken forward to Friday’s Conmebol congress for formal action by member federations.
Madagascar win qualifies them for their first AFCON finals
October 17 – Madagascar have qualified for their maiden African Cup of Nations finals after defeating Equatorial Guinea 1-0 in Vontovorona. They will be joined in Group A by Senegal and north African powerhouses Egypt and Tunisia for the 2019 finals.